No 1 Bulldogs Capture Connell Cup To Open Season

Mar 27, 2010

Varsity Eight Cruises To Nearly 11 Second Victory; Four
Other Yale Boats All Win

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Yale women’s crew, ranked
No. 1 in the nation, opened the spring season in impressive
fashion. The Bulldogs topped Penn and Columbia in all five races,
each by at least six seconds, to easily retain the Connell Cup on
the Schuylkill River.

“We raced well,” said Yale head coach Will Porter.
“In the lower boats, we’re pretty young, so it was
important to work out the kinks and jitters, and I think this race
helped us do that.”

In the varsity eight, the Bulldogs finished in 6:10.1, nearly 11
seconds ahead of second-place Penn. Columbia was third in 6:24.4.

The second varsity was involved in the closest race of the day.
Yale finished in 6:25.8, while Columbia came in at 6:27.5. The
Lions, though, were penalized at the conclusion of the race due to
course interference with the Penn crew in lane 3. The Quakers had a
time of 6:31.7.

The Bulldogs won the varsity four race with a time of 7:00.1,
more than 19 seconds better than second-place Penn. Yale also
captured the second varsity four and third varsity eight races.

Despite the cold weather, the conditions on the Schuykill were
good.

“There was relatively flat water with a quick
current,” Porter said. “It was some of the best
conditions I’ve seen on the Schuykill.”

The Bulldogs will race three times next weekend in Ithaca, N.Y.
It starts with the battle for the Cayuga Cup against Syracuse and
Cornell on Friday at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Yale races Michigan State
at 8 a.m. and Buffalo at 3 p.m.

Results

Varsity Eight

1. Yale 6:10.1

2. Penn 6:21.6

3. Columbia 6:24.4

Second Varsity Eight

1. Yale 6:25.8

2. Penn 6:31.7

3. Columbia** 6:27.5

Columbia excluded from the race due to course interference
with the Penn crew in lane 3